TRP: Irah and Sam (Nightmare)
Day 375, Iceport Iceport did its best to live up to its name on the day Sam and Irah arrived. Irah thought he'd been freezing before but that last stretch... in theory he knew it'd take longer than it had for his toes to start literally freezing off but he hadn't felt them in hours. Snow drifted down in thick flakes covering their heads and he desperately wished he hadn't had to cut up his shirt. When they arrived at the gates they had to wait in line behind donkeys and oxen carts, people in thick cloaks with bundles of hay on their backs or pushing handwagons full of produce. Irah envied them their gloves, scarfs and hats. Inside the crowd didn't let up. It seemed like something was going on keeping the city busy and the shops full. The two of them had to ask around a couple inns before one even had vacancy, and then it was either the common room floor or a coop under the stairs with a single mattress. IZZY Sam held Irah close against him while they were outside -- still warm, but his heat doing less to fend off the cold once it became more severe. He didn't let go, though, when they stepped into inns and had to squeeze through throngs of people to speak to clerks and get turned away; he kept a firm hold on Irah the entire time. He smiled at the clerks and tried to charm them, but there just wasn't any room, and once they got back outside he was scowling and scoffing mist in the cold, muttering that it was bullshit and glancing at Irah in concern. Once they finally found someone willing to offer them a cramped extra room squished under the stairs, he let Irah go. "I can sleep on the floor," he said. JEN Irah wrapped his arms around himself, feeling the lack of Sam's body heat immediately. "You can have it," he said. "I can... I can sleep by the fire. In the tap room." IZZY "You're still injured," Sam said firmly. "You need to sleep in a real fucking bed. You need rest." JEN Irah smiled weakly. "I need a doctor you mean." IZZY "Well. Yeah," he admitted. "We can find one tomorrow. Maybe this fucking circus will've calmed down by then and we'll be able to. For now, though." He pointed. "Bed. I'll bring you something warm to eat, all right?" JEN "Uh," Irah made, trying to protest, but a bed and some hot food sounded too good to decline. He shut his mouth and nodded, looking down. "Thanks." IZZY "Okay." Sam patted his back, pleased. "Sit down. I'll be right back." JEN Irah did so. He pulled his boots off his feet, then all three pairs of socks he'd put on, and rubbed his toes until they burned. A good sign, probably. After that he wrapped himself in the blanket and sat on the bed with the door open watching the people in the common room across the hallway. Wondering, again, what he had gotten himself into. IZZY After a few minutes, Sam returned with a couple steaming bowls of stew and two pieces of crisp buttery toast stacked on top of each one. He looked proud of himself, and handed one bowl to Irah carefully before sitting on the edge of the bed himself to eat. It was hearty -- beef and potatoes and vegetables in an herbacious, seasoned broth -- and more than that, it was warm. "The innkeeper felt so bad about us cramming into this tiny room that she gave us free stew," Sam said. "Maybe I also told her we were attacked by bandits on the way here and almost died." JEN "Oh, that's uhm... nice." Irah shovelled a couple spoons full of stew into his mouth before stopping to think whether it was hot or not. It was. He barely managed to swallow. IZZY Sam nodded, pleased with himself, then gave Irah a sympathetic look. "Maybe start with the bread. Or, hey, do you have any magic to cool things down? I know some people can do that. I mostly go in the other direction, " he added, vaguely embarrassed. JEN Irah fanned air at his tongue, shaking his head. IZZY "Hmm. Let me try." He scooted closer to Irah and reached out to touch the bowl with one finger. It got hotter. "Shit, shit, sorry," he said quickly, scooping the bowl out of Irah's hands before it could burn him there, too. "Sorry." JEN "Actually," Irah said between taking bites of the toast, "I might have some more thermal spells in my... my notebook. I just don't really, uh, use anything besides the combustion variants." IZZY "You mean fireballs?" Sam filled in. JEN "Ah... yeah. Fireballs." IZZY "Fireballs are good," he offered. He looked down at the bowl sternly, and after a moment, the steam dissipated. "Hah. Here, try it now." JEN "Huh," Irah made. He took the bowl and it really seemed cooler. "Thanks." He smiled a bit. "I miss experimenting with magic." IZZY "Why don't you?" JEN The smile turned sad. "It's... complicated. I, uh... sometimes... " He fell silent staring at his stew. He took a spoonful and ate it, not looking at Sam. IZZY Sam was quiet for a beat. "Set things on fire by accident?" he asked, hesitantly. JEN Irah shrugged a shoulder. "It's been a while, but... " Don't let him know. "Ah... uhm... yeah. Yeah, I set things on fire sometimes." IZZY He almost looked relieved. "Yeah, no, uh. No, I've done that before." JEN "It's okay in a laboratory," Irah continued, latching onto the topic, "I... heh. I once burnt my eyebrows off. And my beard. No- nothing to my skin, fortunately, but I looked pretty weird for a couple weeks... got me some bad nicknames, too.... " IZZY Sam laughed with him, a little. "I, uh. I'm kind of fireproof. It helps. I don't think wizards can do that, though, right?" JEN He had to think for a moment. "There... might be spells that can be learned. I'm not sure. We always used equipment to prevent accidents... mostly." IZZY "Yeah? There's, like ... equipment, for that?" JEN "Oh, yes." Irah nodded enthusiastically. "Magic, sometimes. Sometimes just... very thick leather and metal shields and tinted glasses to protect your eyes." IZZY "Huh." He thought about that. "Huh." JEN "What?" Irah asked after a beat. IZZY "Uh. I don't -- I guess I knew that, actually," he admitted. "I sort of forgot." He became very interested in his bowl. JEN "Oh... hm." IZZY "There was, uh." He poked his spoon into his stew. "You know, I was in an asylum, for a while, too. And I think there was ... equipment. Like that. To keep me from getting out. I just don't remember it very well." More poking. He cleared his throat. "Don't really want to. Anyway." JEN "Hmm." Irah waited for a moment, stirring around in his bowl. When nothing more came he nudged Sam with a shoulder, saying, "Yeah. I get it." IZZY Sam glanced up at him and smiled, a little. JEN "Hey, uhm. You don't have to sleep on the floor." He glanced behind them. "I think we can make do." IZZY Sam glanced back at the rest of the bed, too. "Uh. Are you sure?" JEN "I mean- uh." Irah drew up his shoulders, feeling like he just said something wrong but not knowing what. "I won't be bothered. Is all. I'd hate for you to sleep on the floor..." IZZY "As long as you won't be bothered," Sam said doubtfully. "I get pretty warm, though. If you're too hot, just wake me up and I'll move. Deal?" JEN "Yeah, that's fine. Don't think I will, though." Irah made as if shivering and drew the blanket tighter around himself. IZZY "All right, then." He sounded pleased. JEN --- As always, Irah didn't sleep immediately. Instead of turning and tossing and tearing at his hair, though, he lay still so not to disturb Sam beside him. And when he did sleep... The nightmare seldom changed. Irah was running. Sometimes through a forest, sometimes through the shifting halls of the university, sometimes just through darkness. People would grab at him, try to keep him from getting away, and he flailed and kicked at them and set them on fire but then their burning hands would just reach for his face, scorch his skin while staring at him screaming and he'd just be frozen until-- IZZY Someone was squeezing his shoulders and hissing his name. JEN Irah's hands shot out, shoving at the threat, burning hot. He had his eyes squeezed shut and whimpered wordlessly. IZZY "Irah! Hey, hey, shh, it's okay, it's okay, it's Sam." The equally-warm presence wrapped around him. JEN Irah sobbed but the struggling ceased. The name seemed to get through, if nothing else. He lay with his breath hitching, hands not shoving anymore but grabbing for whatever it was that pressed close to him. IZZY "Shh, shh-shh, it's okay, it's okay." Someone squeezed him, and kissed his hair. "It's okay. You're safe. Don't worry." JEN Irah found a grip and clung to... Sam. It was Sam. He pried his eyes open but it was dark and his face buried against Sam. His breathing still came hard and shallow but slowly, he realized he'd had a nightmare. Only... something had followed him out. Or it'd been there all along, making this happen. "Sam," he whispered. IZZY "Yeah," he said softly. "It's okay. It's me. You're awake. You're okay." He held Irah tight and rocked him, side to side, like a ship at sea. JEN "Sam, we need to get out." IZZY A little more firmly. "It's okay. We're safe." JEN "No," Irah said in a small, choked voice. "You don't... you can't see. They're... we have to... have to get out. We-" He twichted then froze, glancing at some point to the side. IZZY Sam frowned at him. "Irah," he said slowly. "There's nothing ... We're okay." JEN Irah shook his head. "We're not. Not okay. It's not okay. They're... " He blinked, then focused on the door. "They're waiting. Outside, I can... you can't hear them but I can." IZZY He opened his mouth a little and closed it. "Uh. Eh. Okay. Okay. Um." He glanced at the door. "Okay. What would ... what would make you feel better?" JEN "I don't know," Irah mumbled. He buried himself against Sam, close to tears. Nothing. Nothing would help. They were trapped in here and if they went out they'd-- or they would disappear and then Sam would think-- Ah, gods. That was it. That's what they were doing. Irah heard a snicker, somewhere behind him, on the other side of the door maybe. His grip on Sam tightened. IZZY Sam made a startled little sound at Irah burrowing back against him, but went back to holding onto him securely. "Okay," he kept saying. "Okay. Listen. Nothing is going to reach you through me, okay? I've got you. And -- I've got shield spells, and -- a lot of fucking magic. My patron will look out for both of us. It'll be okay." JEN Irah laughed. He started and then he couldn't stop and it turned into sobs again as their voices fell in with their own, hideous cackling. IZZY "Uh. Okay," Sam said nervously. He didn't let up, though. When Irah began to sob, he dropped to kiss Irah hair again, whispering over and over again that it was okay, and he would protect Irah. JEN Slowly, the sobbing ceased. Irah's pulse stopped racing so much. There was still... the threat. He hadn't forgotten then. But they weren't out to kill him... not by their own hands at least. He nodded to Sam's affirmations, drinking them up like a dying man. "I'm sorry," he said. "Sorry. I... it's... sorry." IZZY Sam shook his head. "It's okay. I, um. I used to get these ... night terrors. After I was in an asylum. And I'd wake up, uh, burning stuff, because I was -- you know, I was fucking terrified. But it's okay. You're not there. No one's going to take you back there. I'll fucking kill them if they try," he said lowly. JEN Irah nodded again. It wasn't what he was afraid of, not this time anyway, but Sam's voice and presence soothed him nonetheless. He's bringing his demon, didn't you hear? The voice sounded right next to his ear, standing out from the low muttering Irah had gotten so used to hearing. His demon to get you. It's not a dream. Listen. Listen. Don't you see? It's the demon. "Your... your patron," Irah said slowly, carefully. "What kind of entity is he?" IZZY "He's, um. He's a demon. It's not how it sounds, though," he added quickly. "He's good." JEN Irah tensed. He didn't want to give himself away like that but he felt like breaking down crying. They were right. So right all along. They'd been telling him just as they strung him along, manipulating him into getting attached to Sam so he would... maybe that was their goal. All along. All these years. For Irah to help this demon enter the mortal plane. He sniffed and said nothing. IZZY "I promise," Sam said softly. He kissed Irah's head again. "He'll make sure we're safe." JEN "How... how do you know," Irah said, barely above a whisper. He leaned into Sam more, soothed by the contact despite what he knew. IZZY "Um. He, um." Sam grew warm. "I'm -- I'm his only warlock. I'm ... really important to him. He takes care of me." JEN That could mean anything. Of course the demon would take care of Sam if he needed him to cross planes. Irah didn't say so. He shivered from the sudden warmth and the dread that washed over him as he nodded again. He had to do something about this. He needed to stop being a tool for these creatures. IZZY "We'll be okay," Sam insisted. He hesitated, then asked, "Do you ... want some fresh air? That always used to help me. I know it's cold out, but I can keep you warm. We'll wrap up in a blanket together." JEN Irah shook his head. He didn't think they were out there to hurt him anymore but he didn't want to confront them just now. Or take the risk anyway. Better to stay here. IZZY "Okay. We can stay here. I'll stay with you. We're okay," he said firmly, giving Irah a squeeze. JEN "Thanks," Irah said, a bit belatedly. "Thank you. I'm sorry. Sorry... " IZZY "It's okay. There's nothing to apologize for." JEN Irah clung to Sam just a bit longer until the shaking of his hands had subsided, then let go to lie back down. Sleep wasn't going to come anymore but at least he could rest, pretend and think. He had so much to think about... IZZY Sam settled in with him, letting go but then tentatively putting an arm around him again once they were lying down. He held Irah close. - - - When Sam woke in the morning, he seemed vaguely disoriented for a beat, and pulled away to rub at his eyes sleepily. He started mumbling something about getting breakfast, then hesitated, and looked Irah over. "How, uh. How are you feeling?" he asked. "Are you okay?" JEN "Hm. Hmm..." Irah sighed deeply, just emerging from the slumber he'd fallen into after all. "Yeah... I'm... uh-huh." His tongue felt too heavy to talk so he gave up on it. He kept his eyes closed for a moment longer, drifting, and shifted to get closer to the warmth that was Sam beside him. He didn't want breakfast. He just wanted dreamless sleep. IZZY "Aw," Sam said softly. He scooted closer to Irah again, yawning. "Is it cold?" he murmured. "I can go get something warm and bring it back. You need warmer clothes, too. I don't really notice the cold that much. I didn't think about it." JEN He wanted to say no. to save Sam the trouble but truth was, Irah really needed if. He thought of the thick clothes he'd seen the locals wear, and his own flimsy jacket in comparison. "Hmm... I could... could use a cloak. And a scarf. Maybe. Don't have to go alone, I'll come with." IZZY "Are you sure?" Sam said doubtfully. "I don't mind. I just don't want you to freeze out there and get sick or anything." JEN Irah nodded, then stopped and grimaced. "Oh. Uh. I don't have any money... left." IZZY "That's fine." He sounded a little puzzled. "I've got plenty." JEN Now it was Irah's turn to ask, "Are you sure?" IZZY "Yeah, of course. I'm the one who dragged you up here," he pointed out. "I've got you." JEN "Oh, uhm. Okay. Thank you." IZZY "Yeah. No problem." He yawned again. "Breakfast?" JEN "I'm not hungry," Irah said. He wasn't, really, but he also didn't want Sam to be spending even more money on him. He was taking good care of him and Irah felt awful for it. IZZY Sam gave him a suspicious look. JEN "Really." IZZY "Well, I am," he said. "They have, uh. They have really good maple syrup up here." JEN Irah squinted at him. "Do you eat just... just syrup?" IZZY "What? No! You have it on, you know, pancakes or waffles, or eggbread." He gave Irah a puzzled look. JEN "Oh. Huh. Okay." IZZY "Have you never had those?" Now he was downright baffled. JEN Irah shrugged. IZZY "Okay, but -- you either have or haven't," Sam said. He pushed himself up and patted Irah. "Come on. I'm getting you waffles. They're great. You'll love them. I mean, maybe you won't," he admitted. "I don't know. Do you like sweet things?" JEN "Sometimes," he said. He wasn't sure what he liked. Food was just... that. He often forgot to eat at all and when he did, there was barely any taste to anything. IZZY "Then you'll love them. They're, like ..." He made a vague grabby gesture with his hands. "Crunchy, crispy. But sort of cakey, too. Not as much as pancakes, though -- they're just like a sweet quickbread. You fry them in a skillet, in butter. They're good, too." JEN "Huh," Irah made again. He had no idea what any of this would taste like mit Sam's enthusiasm was promising. Maybe he was a little bit hungry after all. He stood up, boots on his feet still, and wrapped the blanket around himsf like a cloak. IZZY Sam stretched and joined Irah on his feet. "Here." He plucked at the blanket. "Let me under. I'll keep you warm." JEN Irah smiled and let him, feeling warmer just by the notion. Category:Text Roleplay